Quinceañera: Dress and Memory in Latine Culture
at Queens College: Godwin-Ternbach Museum
65-30 Kissena Blvd, 405 Klapper Hall, Flushing, NY 11367
On view: September 25, 2025 - December 18, 2025
Hours: Monday - Thursday: 10am - 4pm; Saturday: 11am - 4pm
FREE ADMISSION
What an honorable time to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the Quinceañera exhibition at Queens College Godwin-Ternbach Museum. Curated by Emily Ripley, a professor and collections manager of the Queens College Fashion and Textiles Collection. The exhibition celebrates memories of the rich cultural legacy of the coming-of-age passed on from mother to daughter on their 15th birthday.
Fiber pick of the Month is Ashly Segundo’s gold embellishment pillows from her 2017 Quinceañera celebration. The pillow complemented her sequined gold dress designed in Turkey. Ashly’s mother worked a second job to ensure her daughter had the most elaborate Quinceañera.
The fabricated cream pillow was stitched with a spanish phrase, "Mis 15 años" (my 15 years), Ashly’s full name, and date of the celebration. Beautified with an extra layer of embroidered floral sequin fabric, it reflected glamour, maturity, memory and communal storytelling of Latin tradition.
As you stroll around the museum, immerse yourself in the celebratory spirit with 17 elaborate dresses and accessories loaned by the Queens Latin American community. Enjoy the aural reflections of festive memories at the audio stations. As you observe framed photographs, visually capture monumental moments of maturing quinceañeras.
"The Godwin-Ternbach Museum (GTM) is pleased to present Quinceañera: Dress and Memory in Latine Culture, a powerful exhibition celebrating the enduring significance of the Quinceañera celebration within Latine communities across the United States. Organized by Emily Ripley, Director of the Queens College Fashion and Design Program, in collaboration with GTM Co-Directors Louise Weinberg and Maria Pio, this show highlights the rich cultural legacy of this coming-of-age tradition through dress, memory, and community storytelling.
A fully community-minded event, this exhibition will feature personal objects, written and oral accounts, and documentary materials from New York’s diverse pan-Latine communities, brought to life through a vibrant collection of handmade fabric flowers created by Queens College students. Works of art include Steven Blum’s “El Sueno Americano” and a series of striking images by noted documentary photographer Cinthya Santos Briones which examine traditional “quinceañera” celebrations among the Mexican migrant community in New York City. This immersive, multi-sensory experience captures the transformative spirit of the Quinceañera, revealing dress as a powerful expression of identity and cultural continuity." (Godwin-Ternbach Museum)
